Chapter 7

"Young man, wait a moment." Just as Mo Wujie was about to leave the guild’s main gate, a slightly aged voice called out to him.

Mo Wujie turned around and saw a middle-aged man. His appearance was far less aged than his voice suggested.

"Are you calling me?" Mo Wujie sized up the middle-aged man. This man had extremely sharp eyes, as if nothing could escape his gaze.

"That’s right, I called you. If you don’t mind, we can find a quiet place to talk." The middle-aged man pointed to the teahouse next to the guild hall.

Mo Wujie chuckled, "I don’t mind at all."

...

As Mo Wujie and the middle-aged man walked towards the guild’s teahouse, people in the guild hall began to chatter.

"Wasn’t that Lu Jiujun, the head of Danhan Alchemy Shop? Everyone knows that guy is a fake alchemy assistant. Is he planning to recruit that madman? Isn’t he afraid his shop will go bankrupt again? His mind doesn’t seem to be very sharp."

"Hehe, you also mentioned ‘again.’ If Lu Jiujun were smart, he wouldn’t have brought Danhan Alchemy Shop to ruin. He seems very shrewd at first glance, but he’s not really. Just look at Danhan Alchemy Shop."

"Who doesn’t know that Lu Jiujun isn’t very smart? It’s a pity for Danhan Alchemy Shop. It used to be one of the top alchemy shops in my Chengyu Lord’s territory, and even in the Xinghan Empire, it was well-known. Now it’s just a small shop, and it will soon disappear..."

"Who can blame him for his good fortune, inheriting Danhan Alchemy Shop? Even if it fails, at least he once had it. At least he doesn’t have to look for work like we do."

...

Mo Wujie couldn’t hear the murmurs. He was already sitting in the teahouse with Lu Jiujun, who had ordered a pot of Raocheng Spring Dawn tea.

The pale green tea was poured out, emitting a faint fragrance. Mo Wujie couldn’t resist lifting the cup and taking a sip. The lingering aroma filled his mouth, and he felt completely refreshed. He couldn’t help but praise, "Good tea."

In his previous life, Mo Wujie wasn’t particular about tea. He had tasted all kinds of fine teas, and few could compare to this one. Moreover, he could tell that the tea was casually brewed, without much attention to detail. Otherwise, it would have been even better.

Lu Jiujun smiled slightly, "Raocheng Spring Dawn is one of the three famous teas of Chengyu. Every year, some are offered to the imperial family. We are drinking the old leaves, which are not something just anyone can afford. Let me introduce myself. I am Lu Jiujun, the head of Danhan Alchemy Shop..."

At this point, Lu Jiujun deliberately paused and looked at Mo Wujie. He believed Mo Wujie would surely say, "So you’re from Danhan Alchemy Shop, I know."

Mo Wujie understood Lu Jiujun’s meaning. It seemed that Danhan Alchemy Shop wasn’t simple. He said apologetically, "Sorry, Master Lu, I really haven’t heard of Danhan Alchemy Shop."

Lu Jiujun’s mouth opened wide, seemingly unable to believe Mo Wujie’s words. In Raozhou, who hadn’t heard of Danhan Alchemy Shop? Even if it had failed and been taken over by others, it was only a few years ago, and its reputation shouldn’t have declined so quickly.

After a moment of surprise, Lu Jiujun understood and said self-mockingly, "It seems I was being presumptuous. Master Mo is focused on restoring his country and naturally wouldn’t care about business matters."

Seeing that Lu Jiujun understood, Mo Wujie didn’t beat around the bush and said directly, "Master Lu knows my background, so you must not be here to invite me to be an alchemist, right?"

He had boasted in the guild that he would be an alchemist, but Mo Wujie was very self-aware. No one would take his boasting seriously.

Lu Jiujun lifted his teacup, took a sip, and calmly put it down, smiling. "Master Mo is right. I am here to invite you to be the chief alchemist of Danhan Alchemy Shop."

This time, it was Mo Wujie’s turn to be surprised. He instinctively paused with his teacup in hand and asked, puzzled, "Master Lu, haven’t you heard about me? Are you sure I wasn’t just boasting? Or speaking normally?"

Lu Jiujun said calmly, "I’m not a good alchemist, but I believe my eyes are decent. When you boasted, the confidence in your eyes and the spirit in your body were not something a liar or a madman could fake. Moreover, your words gave me confidence. They were not the words of an abnormal person. So, I’m taking a bet that Master Mo is telling the truth. How about it, Master Mo, are you interested in working with me?"

After saying this, Lu Jiujun added, "By the way, I have a nickname, ‘Lu the Madman.’ Danhan Alchemy Shop’s rapid downfall was due to my crazy decisions."

Lu Jiujun himself didn’t believe his own words. He wasn’t hiring Mo Wujie just because of his confidence. There was a more important reason, one only he knew. Mo Wujie’s grandfather, Mo Tiancheng, had another identity that no one knew about: he was a highly skilled alchemist.

Danhan Alchemy Shop’s fame in Raozhou was due to Duke Beiqin, Mo Tiancheng. Despite his grandfather and Mo Tiancheng being friends, the Lu family had paid a heavy price to gain Mo Tiancheng’s alchemy support.

In other words, if it weren’t for the majority of Danhan Alchemy Shop’s profits going to Mo Tiancheng, it wouldn’t have failed so quickly. So when Mo Wujie claimed to be an alchemist, others might not believe him, but Lu Jiujun had some faith. If he were an alchemist, he would pass it down to his descendants, especially given Mo Wujie’s confidence. Of course, he wouldn’t explain this to Mo Wujie, regardless of whether Mo Wujie knew or not.

Hearing Lu Jiujun’s words, Mo Wujie calmed down. He didn’t believe Lu Jiujun was hiring him just because he thought Mo Wujie wasn’t lying. He knew that good things don’t fall from the sky. If Lu Jiujun were that rash, Danhan Alchemy Shop wouldn’t exist.

"What? Is Master Mo just talking big? Now that I’m offering you a job, you’re afraid to take it?" Lu Jiujun saw that Mo Wujie wasn’t speaking and pressed him again.

Mo Wujie wasn’t affected by Lu Jiujun’s pressure. After taking a sip of tea, he said, "I can join, but what’s my compensation?"

"Fifty gold coins per month, Danhan Alchemy Shop will provide accommodation. Besides that, as long as your requests are reasonable, we will try to meet them." Lu Jiujun said, staring at Mo Wujie. He didn’t believe Mo Wujie could refuse such a high salary. While it wasn’t as much as a real alchemist’s salary, it was several times higher than the assistant alchemist’s salary at Chengling Jiudan Workshop.

According to his guess, Mo Wujie would be excited and stand up when he heard the offer.

But the reality disappointed him. Mo Wujie seemed to have not heard him, calmly taking another sip of tea. When Lu Jiujun was about to lose his patience, Mo Wujie asked an unrelated question, "Master Lu, I heard that opening one’s spiritual root is very expensive. How much does it cost?"

Mo Wujie wasn’t unfamiliar with money. He had been excited about ten gold coins earlier because no one had recognized his potential, and he needed a temporary job to support himself and Yan’er. Even if he got hired, he would leave after a month.

But Lu Jiujun wouldn’t let him leave after a month; he would definitely make him sign a contract.

Lu Jiujun looked at Mo Wujie in confusion. He knew Mo Wujie had tried to open his spiritual root and failed. What did he mean by asking this?

Despite not knowing Mo Wujie’s intention, he answered carefully, "There are three ways to open one’s spiritual root. The first is using spirit herbs, the most common method. The cost varies depending on the herb’s grade, with the lowest being around ten thousand gold coins. The second is..."

Mo Wujie interrupted apologetically, "Master Lu, since the lowest price is ten thousand gold coins, what’s the highest price?"

Lu Jiujun chuckled, "The highest price is priceless. I’ve heard that the most precious spirit herbs are worth more than the entire Chengyu Kingdom."

Mo Wujie understood. He wondered how much his parents had spent on spirit herbs to open his spiritual root. The lower the price of the spirit herb, the worse the effect.

Lu Jiujun continued, "The second method is to have a powerful person help open your spiritual root. The cost depends on their mood, generally not less than ten thousand gold coins, and even a few million is not excessive. The third method is to use a spirit root opening array, which doesn’t exist in our Chengyu Kingdom. I’ve heard that in the Xinghan Empire, only those with obvious potential have the chance to use it."

Mo Wujie remained silent. No matter which method, even if he earned a hundred gold coins a month, it would take him a very long time to save enough to open his spiritual root.

"Master Lu, have you ever opened your spiritual root? Since it costs at least ten thousand gold coins, I guess not many people can afford it. So, can’t poor people open their spiritual roots at all?" Mo Wujie asked after a long pause.

Lu Jiujun shook his head, "I’ve been tested, but I only have a mundane root. Since I don’t care much about cultivation, I never tried to open my spiritual root."

"Does the test before opening the spiritual root also cost money?" Mo Wujie asked again.

"Of course, it usually costs around five hundred gold coins. Even if you have a spiritual root, it doesn’t guarantee you the right to cultivate."

"Can a mundane root be opened?"

Lu Jiujun smiled, "Even though I’m not very knowledgeable about this, I know that the success rate of opening a mundane root is less than one in a million. Only a few people, who are unwilling to accept their mundane roots, will spend money to try."

Mo Wujie fully understood. His stepfather, in his desperation, had spent gold coins to try to open his spiritual root, even knowing he had a mundane root.

(Please give a recommendation if you enjoyed this. Thank you! That’s it for today’s update. Good night, everyone!)

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